Monsoon birds throng Odisha’s Bhitarkanika Park

The Bhitarkanika National Park in Odisha’s Kendrapara district is agog with activity as thousands of monsoon birds have descended on the Bagagahan area of the Park in the last few days for breeding and nesting.

According to Rajnagar Mangrove and Wildlife Division DFO Kedar Kumar Swain, these monsoon birds throng the Bagagahan and Mathadia forests around the onset of rainy season every year.

As many as 11 species of local birds sighted in these parts of the park include open bill stork, little cormorant, intermediate egret, large egret, little egret, purple heron, grey heron, night heron, darter, white ibis and cattle egret.

Among them the open bill storks form 60 per cent of the total nesting population, he added.

The wildlife staff, had sighted a total of 79, 552 birds and 17,547 nests inside the Park during monsoon bird census last year .